Mobile devices (or “terminals”), such as hand-held computers, RF scanners, and the like, are used in a variety of contexts and may be employed for an extended length of time before their battery cells are recharged. Accordingly, at the start of a work shift, it is common for users of such devices to check a mobile device's battery level to ensure that the battery has enough charge to power the device for the full shift. In this regard, there are three primary aspects important for gaining a complete picture of battery level: (1) charging status; (2) the state of charge; and (3) the health of the battery.
Current methods of accessing these attributes of a battery are unsatisfactory in a number of respects. For example, acquiring the relevant battery information is often costly and time-consuming due to time requirements, misinterpretation, and/or lack of information. Furthermore, additional equipment is often required to access the battery state.
The task of determining a battery's health may be accomplished in a variety of ways. Smart battery ICs used in some battery designs are capable of collecting information regarding its state of charge and state of health; however, this information is typically accessible only through communication with a handheld terminal or a dedicated charger.
Furthermore, indicating the charging status of a battery is typically performed with an LED or series of LEDs on the charger or terminal. Depending on the physical location of the LEDs in relation to battery, the meaning of the observed visual cues may be easily misinterpreted.
One of the most common methods of accessing the state of health involves the use of ad hoc markings, such as an “entered service” date, that is written on the battery to estimate the number of charge cycles. Alternatively, additional equipment such as a terminal, or a system tied into terminals, may gather battery parameter information from the Smart IC.
The ad hoc marking method can be implemented on a deployment-by-deployment or a site-by-site basis, but it ultimately provides no guarantee of accuracy or consistency. The software on the terminal or tie-in to a back-end system is typically not available at the point where an end-user can make use of it. Thus, none of the prior art methods provide users with quick and unambiguous information about the state of a battery at the point when those users need the information to make decisions regarding which batteries to use.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods of presenting to a user the state of health and charge of a battery within a mobile device, and as a stand alone battery. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.